JPH04222024A - Program forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To offer a compact program forming device with high portability by miniaturizing a key pad without reducing the number of instructions to be processed. CONSTITUTION:The key pad 1 is provided with instruction input keys 1a, numeral keys 1b and a mode switching key 1c. Instructions to be inputted are allocated to the keys 1a. The keys 1b input numerals. The key 1c selectively switches a 1st input mode and a 2nd input mode. In the 1st input mode, an instruction is selected by the key 1a, and in the 2nd input mode, an instruction not allocated to the key 1a can be selected by the key 1b.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates primarily to a program creation device for creating a program for a programmable controller.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a program creation device for creating a program for a programmable controller has been provided which allows a program to be input in units of instructions. For example, commands such as "ST" and "DF" are assigned to each key of the keypad,
By operating the key corresponding to the command you want to input, you can input the program in units of commands.

0003

[Problem to be solved by the invention] By the way, since there is a limit to the area on which characters can be written on a key, even if one key is shared by multiple commands, it can be assigned to one key. There are only a few instructions. on the other hand,
Programmable controllers require a large number of keys because of the large number of types of instructions used. the result,
There is a problem in that the keypad cannot be miniaturized, and conventional programming devices are inconvenient to carry.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a compact program creation device with good portability by downsizing the keypad.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of claim 1 includes a keypad for inputting a program, a display for displaying input commands, and each key of the keypad. The keypad is equipped with a command table in which a correspondence relationship with the commands that can be input by the key is set, and the keypad has command input keys to which commands that can be input are assigned, numeric keys to input numbers, and commands to be input using the command input keys. It is provided with a mode switching key that selectively switches between a first input mode for selection and a second input mode for selecting an instruction not assigned to an instruction input key using the numeric keys.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, in the second input mode, selectable commands and corresponding numbers are displayed on the display.

[0007]

According to the structure of claim 1, the keypad includes command input keys to which inputtable commands are assigned, numeric keys for inputting numbers, and a first input mode in which commands are selected by the command input keys. It is equipped with a mode switching key that selectively switches between a second input mode in which commands that are not assigned to an input key are selected using the numeric keys, and a mode switching key that selectively switches between the second input mode and the second input mode in which commands that are not assigned to input keys are selected. can be entered. That is,
Since the keypad can be made smaller, the overall size can be made smaller and portability can be improved. Also, instead of inputting all commands using the numeric keys, you can assign frequently inputted commands to the command input keys, so if you input only the less frequently inputted commands using the numeric keys, Compared to searching for a desired command from a large number of keys when creating a program, the chances of input errors are reduced and operability is improved.

According to the structure of claim 2, in addition to the structure of claim 1, selectable commands are displayed on the display together with the corresponding numbers in the second input mode. You can easily enter commands by looking at the display.

[0009]

[Example] (Example 1) As shown in Figure 1, a plurality of keys K1 to K for inputting and modifying programs
A keypad 1 having a keypad 35 (see FIG. 2) and a display 2 consisting of a liquid crystal display for displaying commands inputted by the keypad 1 are provided on the front surface of the case 10.

The keypad 1 is constructed using sheet-like pushbutton switches, etc., and as shown in FIG.
It is connected to the CPU 3 via a key control unit 12 that includes a key matrix 11 that outputs a corresponding code when K35 is pressed, a key buffer, and the like. In the CPU 3, each of the pressed keys K1 to K35 is
It performs predetermined processing corresponding to the above, displays on the display 2, and exchanges programs with the programmable controller 20 connected to the outside via the connector 5. That is, the display device 2 is connected to the CPU 3 via the display control circuit 13, and the connector 5 is an RS42 interface that serves as an interface with the programmable controller 20.
It is connected to the CPU 3 via a driver/receiver 14 of two standards. Further, a backlight 6 for illuminating the display 2 is provided on the back surface of the display 2.
is controlled by the CPU 3 via the backlight control circuit 15. A buzzer 7 that sounds when keys K1 to K35 are pressed is also connected to the CPU 3. Memory 4 contains system programs as well as each key K of keypad 1.
An instruction table setting the correspondence between 1 to K35 and program instructions is also stored, and created programs and programs read from the programmable controller 20 are also stored.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the keypad 1 is provided with command input keys 1a (K1 to K10).
Each of the keys K1 to K10 of the command input key 1a is assigned a command that can be input, respectively. In addition to commands, input/output types are also assigned to each of the keys K1 to K10 of the command input key 1a. For example, key K1 to which an operation start command "ST" is assigned is assigned an external input "X". is assigned. The instructions assigned to the instruction input key 1a are basic instructions that are frequently used among sequence instructions, and input/output related instructions and logical operation instructions such as AND and OR can be input directly. ing. Keypad 1 has 0
There are also 16 numeric keys 1b that can input numbers from 9 to 9, A to F.

For example, when inputting a program called "AN ) after pressing
Press "ST" (K1) of command input key 1a to select "X" for external input, then press number key 1b to select "3"
(K29) is selected. Here, keypad 1
What kind of program has been input in response to the operation is displayed on the display 2 in two lines at a time.

By the way, although only ten command input keys 1a are provided, the programmable controller 20
There are over a dozen types of commands that can be used in
It is not possible to input other commands using only the command input key 1a. Therefore, when inputting a command that is not assigned to the command input key 1a, the mode is switched using the mode switching key 1c (K15), and then the command can be selected using the numeric keys 1b. That is, instructions that are not assigned to the instruction input key 1a are stored in an instruction table in the memory 4, and a two-digit number is assigned to each instruction on a one-to-one basis, and when selected using the numeric key 1b, the corresponding Instructions are read from the instruction table. In short, the mode switching key 1c selects two modes: a first mode in which commands are input using the command input key 1a, and a second mode in which commands are input using the numeric keys 1b.

When inputting a command in the second mode, first press the mode switching key 1c to select the second mode (at this time, an underline or the like is displayed on the display 2 in an area that is not normally used when inputting a program). The second mode is displayed), and then the desired command is selected by inputting a two-digit number using the numeric keys 1b. Here, the correspondence between numbers and commands can be confirmed using a list of command words or the like. For example, in the instruction table, "00 DF" (differential instruction), "02
Assuming that the correspondence between numbers and commands is set, such as "KP" (self-hold command) and "10 ED" (end command), after pressing the mode change key 1c, press the number key 1b to select "10 ED" (end command). If you input "0" or "2", display 2 will appear.
will be displayed as "KP". In the middle of the process,
Display unit 2 will display "0 DF", but if you continue to input "2", "0" will be ignored and "2 KP" will be displayed.
” will be displayed. Furthermore, if the command displayed on the display 2 is not the desired command, the user may continue to input the number corresponding to the desired command using the numerical keys 1b. For example, if you want to input "ED" from the state of "2 KP", you can input "1" and "0" successively. During the process, a state "21" occurs, but if there is no command corresponding to "21", no command is displayed. After the desired command is selected in this way, the command is confirmed by pressing the mode switching key 1c again.

The keypad 1 has a read key 1d (K30) for reading out the registered program line by line.
, write key 1e for writing the program line by line (
K35), insert/delete key 1f (K33) for inserting or deleting lines, all clear key 1g (K32) for erasing the entire program, clear key 1h (K31) for canceling the previous input, desired command A search key 1i (K25) for searching is provided. Read key 1
d (K30), write key 1e (K35), etc. are used to display the contents of the specified line on the display 2 by pressing the number corresponding to the desired line after pressing the numeric key 1b. You can write the contents displayed on the specified line.

According to the above configuration, frequently used commands are input using the command input key 1a in the first mode, and other commands are input after the second mode is selected using the mode switching key 1c. , can be entered using the numeric keys 1b. As a result, the keypad 1 has only a small number of keys K1 and 1 while allowing input of a large number of commands.
.about.K35 can be provided, and the keypad 1 can be made smaller. In addition, since frequently used commands are assigned to the command input key 1a, and less frequently used commands are input using the numeric keys 1b, the time and effort required to search for a desired command among a large number of keys is reduced. Errors in key input are also reduced, and compared to the case where a large number of keys are provided, operability is improved and program creation efficiency is improved.

(Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1, commands were input by referring to the command word list in the second mode, but in this embodiment, the correspondence between numbers and commands in the command table is displayed on the display 2, and by selecting a desired command from among the displayed commands, the corresponding command is input.

That is, after operating the mode switching key 1c to set the second mode, when the clear key 1h, which also serves as a help key in the second mode, is pressed, the correspondence between numbers and commands is displayed. It has become. Here, four instructions are displayed on the display 2 in two rows and two columns. In the second mode, the read key 1d and the search key 1i are also used as scroll keys, so that the screen of the display 2 can be scrolled up and down. That is, although only four commands are displayed at a time on the display 2, other commands can be displayed by scrolling using the read key 1d and the search key 1i. It is.

In this way, when the desired command is displayed on the display 2, select the command using the numeric keys 1b and press the mode switching key 1c as in the first embodiment to confirm the command. It will be done. Here, even if a number not displayed on the display 2 is input, no command is selected. For example, the numbers "E", "F", "10",
When the command corresponding to "11" is displayed, "
2 cannot be selected. Also, once
2", then enter "E" to select "E".
Even if you input "E", you cannot select the command. This is because the key buffer provided in the key control unit 12 is designed to input two-digit numbers, such as "2", "
This is because if "E" is inputted consecutively, it will be determined as "2E". In such a case, you can input "0" and "E" consecutively. Also, in the second mode, the read key 1
If you operate d or search key 1i, the contents of the key buffer will be erased in order to switch the selectable commands, so you may input "E" after operating these keys. However, in this case, it is necessary that the command corresponding to "E" be displayed after the key is operated.

According to the above configuration, when selecting a command using the numerical keys 1b, there is no need to use a list of command words, thereby improving usability.

[0021]

As described above, according to the structure of claim 1, the keypad selects an instruction using the instruction input key to which inputtable instructions are assigned, the numeric key for inputting a number, and the instruction input key. It is equipped with a mode switching key that selectively switches between a first input mode in which the command is not assigned to an instruction input key, and a second input mode in which an instruction not assigned to an instruction input key is selected using the numeric keys. There is an advantage that a large number of commands can be input by switching the . That is, the keypad can be made smaller, and the overall size can be made smaller to improve portability. Also, instead of inputting all commands using the numeric keys, you can assign frequently inputted commands to the command input keys, so if you input only the less frequently inputted commands using the numeric keys, Compared to searching for a desired command from a large number of keys when creating a program, this method has the advantage of reducing the chance of input errors and improving operability.

According to the structure of claim 2, in addition to the structure of claim 1, selectable commands are displayed on the display together with the corresponding numbers in the second input mode. Even in a computer, commands can be input easily by looking at the display, further improving usability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the keypad in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Keypad 1a Command input key 1b Numeric key 1c Mode switching key 2 Indicator 3 CPU 4 Memory

Claims (2)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A keypad for inputting a program;
The keypad is equipped with a display that displays input commands, etc., and a command table that sets the correspondence between each key on the keypad and the commands that can be input using that key. A mode for selectively switching between an input key, a numeric key for inputting a number, a first input mode in which an instruction is selected using an instruction input key, and a second input mode in which an instruction not assigned to an instruction input key is selected using a numeric key. A program creation device comprising: a switching key. [Claim 2] A keypad for inputting a program;
The keypad is equipped with a display that displays input commands, etc., and a command table that sets the correspondence between each key on the keypad and the commands that can be input using that key. A mode for selectively switching between an input key, a numeric key for inputting a number, a first input mode in which an instruction is selected using an instruction input key, and a second input mode in which an instruction not assigned to an instruction input key is selected using a numeric key. 1. A program creation device comprising a switching key, and displaying selectable commands together with corresponding numbers on a display in a second input mode.